What's the biggest culture shock you've experienced?

[Sacredhandbag]

Good or bad?

For me it was definitely the bike culture in Amsterdam - and I loved it.

But also, the over enthusiasm of shop workers in America, the silence in the streets in Japan, and the way Australians are so outdoorsy but can't handle the rain 😅

So you would rather walk along a street with snot hanging out of your nose rather than take out a tissue and have it sorted in seconds - really bizarre!

While ot may still happen, spanking is forbidden by law in France since 2016 and a further law in 2019 banned all forms of "commonplace educational violence " against children so I can assure you that not all parents here are dishing out smacks and clips around the ear willy nilly. A former colleague's ex-wife accused him of slapping his son during a particularly nasty divorce and as a result, all three of his kids had to go through medical examinations, interviews with psychiatrists in presence of the police and both parents were interviewed by the police and social services. He was cleared in the end but the whole process took 3 months and his youngest son still talks about it 5 years later. Open season, it is not.

While not a trailing spouse myself, I have known a lot of them and wouldn't be rushing to take what they see as being representative of real life for the rest of us (see also French Women Don't Get Fat and, although the author isn't a trailing spouse, A Year in the Merde)

Just like the New Forest. Beautiful area ruined by very unpleasant locals.

Shanghai, China. People spitting EVERYWHERE. People would just hock and spit massive phlegm balls out, even inside shops and hotels. I know Mumsnet hates this word, but It was fucking GRIM.

Why on earth would you sit there sniffing like a coke addict?

In France when you finally understand that even the self-professed right wingers are raving socialists! The left wing propaganda at school and in HE is extraordinary.

@madamweb that's very honest of you.
I know so many posh middle class kids that have no life skills for the real world. Street wise they are not.

They're not even bothered about Mary it's just 100% Jesus all the time.

Evangelicals would consider any sign of Mary to be dangerously papist. If they actually knew anything about theology, that is — surveys consistently show that the section of the US public that is best informed about religious matters is the atheists.

Also found frequently in Italy . In the 90s anyway.

Moving from a workplace in a very very famous institution to a local authority office.

Everything felt tinny and unsubstantial.

People - by which I mean men - spit everywhere where I live. Is it really just a Chinese thing? It's becoming everyday behaviour in our cities too, regrettably. I blame footballers for normalising it. Absolutely disgusting and unnecessary thing to do, unless you've got a fly in your mouth or something.

Yes! I spent some time in Oregon and Northern California and passed through lots of small towns. We saw a lot of Jesus merchandise- even in a Redwoods gift/tourist shop. Yes, lots of tree-related ornaments and things made of wood, but Jesus was on an awful lot of them!

Going to Paris aged 16 (so 35 odd years ago) staying in a youth hostel and being given a bowl of coffee and a roll to dip in it for breakfast

Would love to know what you find so different @TheFunHare I'm Irish and don't notice much different in the UK, but maybe it's because we watch so much TV made in the UK.

Oh and I agree about how amazingly polite, honest and quiet Japanese people are.
DH foolishly left his rucksack on a tour bus .. phone etc inside so not brilliant! We went to the office of the bus company and they very calmly assured us that the bus was due back in two hours and the rucksack would be there. It was.

M.E ex (and his friends). The CLEANING! And the absolute fastidiousness over food. Just have a bloody sandwich occasionally!

Yes elaborate please, that's my home city!

Adverts for man traps in South Africa

True. The occasional sneeze in public can't be helped, but nose blowing? No, you need to find someplace private to do that, certainly where I live in the Deep South.

Moving from a socially liberal, vibrant University city in England to narrow-minded, finger-wagging, nosey parker South Wales valleys in the 1970s.

Ireland, the swearing, in a nice country pub or a restaurant and other couples. They get the F word into every sentence. There is no escape! Grim.

Japan is just so, so different it ought to be a culture shock. But instead it was so nice, safe and clean everywhere, with lovely people, that it was a real pleasure to experience. Coming back to LHR was foul, it was filthy with litter and dirt.
A holiday trip to the Gambia over 30 years ago, when it had just opened up to tourism from Europe. The poverty was off the scale. Women in the markets selling three or four chillies and a tomato. That was it.
But unfortunately sex tourism was also starting up. Inevitable, I suppose given the extreme poverty and influx of seemingly wealthy tourists.

Well, we are not often on trains here in the US. And the ones I've been on have restrooms.

2 things, both USA.
Walking back from a casino in Las Vegas to our hotel, we were constantly tooted by motorists. Eventually a police car stopped & told us that no-one walked that street, & they took us to our hotel - < 5 minutes drive.

I once had a US boyfriend, & one day we had dinner with his friends - this was in England. The woman looked at me in horror as I was eating, & said watching me eat with my fork in my left hand was nauseating ! I replied that her way of eating was bad-mannered in England, & perhaps she should learn some manners - both table & inter-personal.

@Mabelmable the Irish say feck which is not considered a swear word.